Oh, but Ginger-pig is a lady of dignity and self-respect. We can see that clearly in her comportment in that compelling portrait captured with just a simple camera. Fancy contraptions would only slight such a sweet expression as seen on that little face; a sweet expression that suggests no impurity, nor the slightest stain upon her immortal soul!

I called my vet and asked if they could do a refill for the bactrim. I got it for 3 weeks instead of 2...i don't know if i did the right thing. The bactrim before seemed to clear it up, i thought maybe she just needed to be on it longer...? I didn't talk to my vet, just the vet-tech. She wanted to put her on baytril, but i asked for the bactrim for 3 weeks.

No, no Baytril. You are right to go back to the Bactrim, especially since that seemed to help last time.

Any way you can get Ginger-pig in for a urine culture before starting ABs again? If there is no infection, then prognosis and treatment will be different (ie maybe cystitis) than if there is a confirmed UTI. The culture should also tell you which AB to use if an infection is present.

You also mentioned the sludge returned... Any idea what the trigger may be? Have you fed anything new or different in the past few days?

Also, what are you using for bedding, and how often are you changing it out?

I only ask because I had a sow with recurrent UTIs/incontinence, and what finally got rid of the problem was throwing her old litter box away and getting her a new one. By then, she'd been on so many heavy ABs for so long that we'd destroyed her gut flora, and all we needed to do was get a new litter box and keep it squeaky clean. Not dose her for months on Bactrim and chloramphenicol.

This is the cage. There mostly on fleece, but they have a 'kitchen' area. They have pellet bedding in their bathroom, with usually a layer of half-eaten, pee-d on hay. I usually clean it out ever week(saturday-saturday), but i clean their pads every day.

I'm glad that you thought the bactrim was the right choice.

When i mentioned 'sludge' i meant the pee dribbling out. Sorry, i used the wrong term...

Right now, it sounds crazy, but i'm unable to make it to the vets because of timing. My uncle passed away yesterday, And i have to take my boyfriend to the hospital to get a tumor removed on friday. I could take her to the vet to get cultured next week, but it will have to wait until next week. It seems pigs always know when life is hell, because it's the time they decide to get sick. *Sigh*

Nice pad for the piggies (but... where is sweet little Ginger-pig?) Like the loft.

Sorry to hear about your uncle and boyfriend. Best wishes in getting his tumor removed.

Thanks for clarifying the sludge issue. So, she is just incontinent -- no pain while doing her business, no blood?

I would still want a culture done, but it would have to wait until next week? Not sure whether it would be wise to wait and get a culture or start on the ABs. I think I would wait and get the culture done, since this is a repeat of the same problem as before, and the last course of Bactrim did not keep it from returning.

Does the kitchen area get spot cleaned - ie soiled hay and pellets scooped out - in between the weekly change-outs? Also, is the pan underneath disinfected weekly?

Sorry for all the picky detail questions. These were just things that I took for granted with my chronic UTI sow, and they turned out to be key in resolving her incontinence.

Well, this is purely speculation based on my experience, which may or may not be indicative of what is going on with your little girl, but I would get rid of that litter box, just to be safe. Start with a clean new one, and spot clean it at least once a day (morning or evening) so that Ginger-pig is not coming into contact with wet bedding and hay for any length of time. Combine the once or twice daily spot-cleaning with the usual weekly change out of the bedding, and be sure to disinfect the box before putting new bedding in. I use diluted Simple Green followed by a plain water rinse. (If the box is porous and can't get wet, maybe put a layer of vinyl in the bottom that can be wiped down.) I will also use vinegar on the concentrated urine spots.

Could be that the increased cleanliness coupled with one more round of Bactrim does the trick.

And if it doesn't, then see a vet for a urine culture or general exam to check for other sources of the incontinence.

Since Ginger-pig responded so well to the Bactrim before, I would not be surprised if this is an infection that may be recurring, in which case it needs to be treated. Just be careful of AB overuse, as you do not want to end up with a resistant infection on your hands.